AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Ryan Adjusts, but Foes Don’t

Nolan Ryan has learned to live--and pitch--with a stress fracture in his lower back.

While learning, he pitched his sixth no-hitter recently in Oakland, but to remain in the regular rotation, the 43-year-old pitcher has had to take something off his fastball.

Dropping down to about 94 m.p.h. hasn’t cut down on his strikeouts, but it has improved his control.

Ryan (6-4) struck out nine and walked none in 7 1/3 innings Friday night at Arlington, Tex., as the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-2. Ryan, who won his first four starts this season before back problems took their toll, improved to 6-4.

Ryan scored his 295th victory and appears certain to reach his goal of 300. He has missed five starting assignments, but was able to start his last three turns.

When he pitched the no-hitter against the world champion Athletics, Ryan’s 14-year-old son gave him back rubs between innings. This time he managed without a rubdown.

“To be honest with you,” Ryan said, “the back problem is never out of my mind. What I have to do is go out there and on each particular pitch block it out of my mind, make sure it doesn’t bother me on that particular pitch. I wish I could honestly say that it’s getting better, but I’m not really sure it is.”

Chicago 5, Oakland 0--The White Sox simply won’t give up. After the A’s won the last three games in Chicago last weekend, there were many who thought Jeff Torborg’s club would fade away.

But in the opener of this weekend series at Oakland, Dan Pasqua and Scott Fletcher hit home runs for the White Sox, who pulled within three games of the leaders of the West.

Eric King (7-1) gave up six hits, and Oakland didn’t get a runner to third base. King struck out nine and retired the first 10 he faced.

King was protecting a 1-0 lead until the sixth, when the White Sox broke through against Scott Sanderson (8-4). Pasqua’s home run made it much easier for the veteran right-hander, who was 9-10 with the White Sox last season.

New York 8, Toronto 7--The Yankees are doing more than showing some life these days. They are tightening the race in the East.

Although they blew a 6-1 lead in the eighth inning, the Yankees outlasted the Blue Jays in 15 innings at Toronto to win their fourth in a row. The last two have been against the Blue Jays, whose lead in the East is once again only a half-game.

Steve Balboni hit two home runs for the Yankees, but it was an error by second baseman Nelson Liriano that paved the way for two unearned Yankee runs in the top of the 15th.

Liriano’s two-out error set the stage for rookie Mike Blowers, who singled in two runs.

Dave Righetti gave up George Bell’s 15th home run leading off the bottom of the 15th, but retired the next three batters for his 15th save.

Toronto left-hander Jimmy Key, making his first start since he went on the disabled list because of a hamstring problem June 1, lasted six innings, giving up nine hits and five runs. He seemed a certain loser until the Blue Jays erupted against Dave LaPoint and the Yankee bullpen in the eighth.

Boston 4, Baltimore 3--Mike Boddicker might be only the second-best Red Sox pitcher, but he’s putting together an impressive string of victories.

Boddicker (9-3) gave up nine hits and four walks in 8 1/3 innings, but won his eighth consecutive decision.

Tony Pena’s two-out single in the seventh inning broke a tie and Rob Murphy came out of the bullpen to get the last two outs in the ninth.

Milwaukee 9, Cleveland 7--Charlie O’Brien hit a bases-loaded triple and drove in four runs for the first time in a game, and Dave Parker homered for the Brewers at Milwaukee.

O’Brien’s triple keyed a five-run second inning that erased a 3-0 deficit and the struggling Brewers chased Bud Black (6-4) in the third when Parker hit a two-run home run.

The Indians rallied late, but Dan Plesac finally got the last out when Jerry Browne, representing the tying run, lined out to first.

Minnesota 3, Kansas City 2--The Twins might not win at all if they didn’t have rookie Kevin Tapani.

Tapani (8-4), who beat the Royals in Kansas City Sunday to end the Twins’ nine-game losing streak, ended a four-game streak at Minneapolis.

Tapani gave up a run and four hits in eight strong innings. Rick Aguilera gave up a run in the ninth, but earned his 17th save.

Gary Gaetti hit his ninth home run, his first in 13 days, for the Twins.

“I haven’t been around long,” Tapani said, “but I know that when you go up against a pitcher as good as Bret Saberhagen, you’d better pitch well.”

Saberhagen now is 5-7.